“He always says he is the world’s best putter. But in all the times I’ve played him, he’s never come close to breaking 80,” she said. “But what’s strange is that every time I talk to him he says he just golfed a 69, or that he set a new course record or won a club championship some place. I just laugh. I’m someone who likes being teased and I like teasing others, and Trump takes it well, and that must be why he likes me.”

The Norwegian, who reached No 2 in the world rankings and has career earnings of US$14m, said that Trump was a more complex figure than his public persona suggests and “cares” about issues important to him. She did, however, say she did not agree with his politics.

“I’m not a supporter of what he says or stands for,” Pettersen said. “I thought it was very strange during the presidential campaign that he wasn’t smarter about how he communicated. He could have won more easily, but made some blunders with his statements. That’s because he is so stubborn. He has not changed five millimetres since becoming president.”

Cheating in golf is not restricted to Republican presidents, however. Bill Clinton was famed for taking “mulligans” or uncounted strokes if he was displeased with his initial effort. “Playing partners don’t just give [Clinton] gimme putts,” wrote Don Van Natta Jnr in a book about golfing presidents. “They give him gimme fairway shots, and gimme drives, and gimme chip shots. If someone makes a par, Clinton gets a par, too. If everyone makes a triple-bogey, Clinton gets a double-bogey.”